Badminton Reflection #1

Confirmed: No Pain - No Gain!

It has been officially six months since I commenced training in Badminton Club after school every Wednesday for an hour and a half and I can confirm that there are no gains without pains! 

Reflection

In regards to my physical health, I do feel more comfortable with my step-approaches as I play. An example would be that I can reach the shuttle and get swiftly back to my starting position ready for the next hit. 

My hits are much more accurate nowadays and although there is always room for improvement, I can see a difference from the precision in my shots currently as compared to the very beginning of the year, where before that I have always been playing badminton on and off as a hobby. To my surprise, my shots are also slightly stronger now which is an advantage to my control of the racket. 

Attack stroke

Likewise, I am more flexible with my backhand strokes now than previously. I recall initially having some wrist aches after a practice as I trained my stoke more and more aggressively. However after all that work, I can confidently say that the strokes come smoothly and naturally without much thought.

Backhand stroke

These little steps of improvement all lead me towards being the best player I can possibly be with only weekly trainings. As time progresses, I hope to continue the motivation I have for this sport just as in the previous months.

train - TrAiN - TRAIN!

Inevitably, there were some difficulties I encountered whilst doing this CAS activity such as my lack of energy at the end of the long school day - right before I begin badminton practice. This issue is a consequence of time management. Although I am very well aware now that it takes a lot of effort to organise homework, socialising time and sleep, this task is still a working process. I hope to further improve my time management skills as I grow older and prepare for arduous years ahead in university. Nevertheless, I look forward to my future studies with much enthusiasm!

Additionally, I can communicate more comfortably with my teammates now. Not only to provide moral support to one another but to offer some advice. I clearly notice some common mistakes that many of the younger students do - mistakes that I was guilty of as a child since I would unknowingly constantly repeat them. In fact, I also feel more at ease when speaking in German, even though I do catch myself making grammatical errors every so often.

Badminton Team

As in every sport, training never gets easier but the contrary - it toughens as you improve. Nonetheless, with every swing of the racket and each bead of sweat I have enjoyed this past few months more than ever in with respect to badminton trainings. 

So far, I have met the following Learning Outcomes with badminton: ① ② ④ ⑤. I plan to achieve the last three outcomes by the end of this school year.

My Numbers sheet to keep track of training hours

In the coming months, I hope to work on my stamina so perhaps jogging or, more preferably, jumping rope. Additionally, I would like to acquire more knowledge about the sport by actively reading and researching articles and advice from professional players. It will be beneficial to learn about my hobby rather than to only simply play it.

Keep your head up and keep playing!

Besides these two main goals, I will certainly hope to develop my previous aims further and work to perfect my strokes in general. With the continuous support I receive from Mr Schneider and my teammates, I am able to train enthusiastically every time!

Evita ☺